Holiday Spirit
by EE's Skysong
Summary: It's Christmas at the mansion, and Kurt's powers are going haywire at the same time as he starts to realize he still wants to be more than friends with someone... AU Kurtty Last two chapters up!
1. Menorahs

Disclaimer: "Now, which doll should we give Emily's friend Daisy? The one that looks like a dominatrix or the transvestite?"

(An: This is the first story in my Power Surge series. There are a couple of things you need to know: A) Gambit was with the X-men from the beginning, since around 'Walk on the Wild Side' (this one is set in the third season), B) Morph and Warlock are present at the mansion (I'll explain them, don't worry), and C) at one point, Rogue had a minimal control over her powers. I was going to explain that in a oneshot, but I decided to make it a subplot. Technically, this is the sequel series to my Big Boom fics, but you don't need to read them. In fact, I advise against it. For those of you who have, Kurt and Kitty aren't a previous couple, mind you. I just hinted at it a lot.)

It was December at the mansion. The air of holiday cheer was affecting everyone. Usually, it was in a good way, but there were a few sticklers for anti-Christmas feeling. Good examples of both sides were Morph, Warlock, and Rogue.

"Morph, Self does not think Rogue will... bite?" The yellow-and-black Technarch had learned to use just names instead of "self-friend" under Morph's tutelage, but he still had issues with pronouns. Ordinarily, "self" would cause his pale-skinned best friend to object and correct him, but he was too busy trying to entice a kiss from Rogue.

"Come on."

"Morph. What part of 'I can't touch' don't you get?" To her credit, Rogue bore most of his antics with a great deal of patience (for her).

"You don't have to. Just tell me 'merry Christmas' before I fall off the couch. Please?" He dangled some mistletoe (which he never seemed to be without nowadays) over her head. Warlock, who was all for the custom after it had been explained to him, was carrying some extra sprigs.

Rogue slammed her book shut. She got up and walked off, her nose in the air.

"Oh, well, hope springs eternal... Come on, I bet we can get Ray and Tabby if we're quick!"

O-o-O-o-O

There was a loud crash as Warlock and Morph narrowly evaded one of Tabitha's cherry bombs. They ran into the room Morph shared with Roberto, slamming the door. "You know, she and I used to be good friends," Morph commented. "It was a pleasant time while it lasted."

"Self bets it was painful, too."

"Well, yeah... c'mon, let's go find Kurt. He's always been sympathetic to our cause, and he can get those hard-to-reach places. Like Logan's head!"

O-o-O-o-O

Kurt and Kitty were in the latter's room. One of Kurt's classes required a typed report, but tridactyl hands and keyboards do not a happy mix make, so he was dictating it to her.

Morph peered in the room. "Hey guys, wanna help us get the rest of the mansion?" He wiggled the mistletoe invitingly.

Kurt smiled but shook his head. "Nah, I have homework." He looked around, then whispered, "Logan's in the kitchen."

Warlock and Morph exchanged grins and slunk off.

"Now, then, my report..." Kurt paused, noticing Kitty was frowning at the screen. "Did something break?"

Kitty glanced at him with a distracted smile. "Oh, no, the computer's fine... it's just, you know..." She shrugged, seeming uncomfortable.

Kurt cocked his head. "What's wrong, _Katzchen_?"

The nickname made her smile a little less forced, but she was still wistful as she said, "Oh, it's just that nobody else around here is Jewish, I guess. I get so lonely, celebrating Chanukah by myself."

"Well, don't you usally go home for the holidays?"

Kitty frowned again, leaning back in her chair. "I would... but I don't really want to, not this year. Since my sister moved out, my parents keep fighting." At Kurt's questioning look, she added, "Daddy's... Daddy's never been the most understanding about my being a mutant. He thinks it's, like, a phase or something, and now I think that he's starting to get that I'm not going to grow out of it. Whenever I'm home, I can always hear them yelling about 'what to do with me' when they think I'm not listening."

Kurt gave his friend a small hug around the shoulders. She leaned back against him for a moment with a sigh.

She straightened, adding, "And anyway, you know, it's the holidays. This is the one time of the year everyone feels obligated to go to synagogue... and I have to go alone."

Kurt brightened a little, since this was something he could fix. "I'll go with you tomorrow."

Kitty glanced at him. "But... you're Catholic."

"So? You're my friend. Besides, it's the same God, isn't it?"

And finally Kurt got the full, blinding, trademark Kitty smile he'd wanted. "That would be great, Kurt, totally."

O-o-O-o-O

Rogue groaned as the professor took his hands from her temples. As he pulled the latex gloves he used to protect himself off, she mumbled, "I dunno what's wrong, professor. I mean, I thought what you were doin' was workin'."

"So did I, Rogue," Xavier said, frowning. "It seems that the effects of Sinister's shots didn't last as long as we'd hoped... in fact, I think their wearing off has actually worsened the negative side of your powers."

Rogue nodded. "I think so too- it just seems like it's getting awful crowded up here," she tapped her skull. "What I wanna know is what's gonna happen when I get full."

"Well, if it that's the matter, it's undoubtedly possible to cleanse your minds of the other personalities... perhaps down that path lies the true way to controlling your powers."

"I hope so. I'm gettin' sick of this."

O-o-O-o-O

Remy knocked on Kurt's door. "You in, _mon ami_?" Kurt poked his head out. "Logan wants us to be partners for a DR session tomorrow."

"Is it in the morning? I'm going to synagogue with Kitty." Remy raised an eyebrow. "What?" Kurt frowned when he caught Remy's drift. "Come on man, you of all people should know Kitty and I are strictly friends."

"The fact that you said 'strictly' instead of 'just' makes me question if you want to change that, is all," Remy yawned, all innocence.

Kurt bared his fangs. "Go away or I'll bite you."

"Hey, I'm pretty tasty."

"Nah, you'd taste like cigarettes. I'd rather lick an ashtray than bite you, but if it comes to that..."

Remy flapped a hand at him. He'd gotten the "quit already" lecture from everyone in the mansion except Logan by this time.

Kurt stuck his tongue out at him and ducked back into his room, mostly incensed because his friend had a point.

(And that's that. Review, s'il vous plait.)


	2. Chanukah

Disclaimer: "Did you have this sort of problem? …of course you did, you saucy minx."

(An: Sorry it took me a while to get this out… I was lazy and then I got suspended. But my lovely reviewers managed to get me off my ass. If you are Jewish, bear with me here. Oh, by the way, in this verse, Kurt's never dated Amanda- "Shadowdance" is during one of the earlier chapters of "Hyperborean Wanderer". Kitty's been out with Lance, though. And for all further purposes, I am ignoring Rogue's thing for Scott. To me, it does not exist. It's too hard to work into a verse where she's already been kissed by Gambit.)

"What _is_ this stuff?"

"It's called rugelach. Don't question, just eat it."

"Should I take that attitude towards all of this food?"

"It's a potluck. Of course you should."

Kurt chuckled. "So all of this is to make up for three hours of preaching?"

"If you _must_ put it that way…"

"Oh, I must." Kurt beamed at her. He looked Kitty over- he wasn't used to the sight of her in a dress, and a light blue, off the shoulder one, at that. "Do you always get this dressed up for synagogue?"

"Why?" Kitty asked, raising her eyebrows.

Kurt suddenly became very interested in what was presumably a casserole. "You look very nice, that's all," he mumbled after a moment.

Kitty studied him out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, she said, "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt grinned and flicked a pea at her.

"I'm not sinking to that level."

Flick.

"That's gross, Kurt."

Flick.

"Would it kill you to let a moment be a moment for once?"

Kurt stopped, contemplating his food as though he'd found the secret to life, and that secret was meatloaf. "I thought you didn't like it when moments involved me."

Kitty frowned, looking over at him. "Is there something I'm missing?"

Kurt continued staring at his plate for a moment. "If you can ask that, then yes, but don't worry. It's nothing new." Kurt suddenly turned and beamed at her. "You're right. The rugelach _is_ good."

Kitty didn't say anything, but she knew a Kurt avoidance technique when she saw one. She let the matter drop, though, and their conversation turned to other things.

O-o-O-o-O

"Rogue! Watch it!" Cyclops blasted at a bot hovering above her head.

"Why do you always have to cut it so close?" Rogue yelled, brushing shrapnel out of her hair as she ran to catch up.

"Because I never miss."

Rogue glared at him as they both edged up against a wall. "If you weren't my partner, you'd be dead now."

Scott laughed. "I know."

On the other side of the Danger Room, Kitty crept through an alley. Evan was covering her back, and they were trying to find Remy and Kurt.

"Why can't Jean just rescue herself?" Evan muttered, spiking a bot that swooped at them.

"Because Logan is a sadist?"

"Oh. Right."

While those sets were having a fairly easy time of it (for one of Logan's sims, anyway), Gambit was having some major problems. Mostly because his partner had never showed up. "Offense and defense, my spicy Cajun _ass_!" Gambit swore and jumped over a large rock, hiding behind it so he could catch his breath. "Where am I, anyway?" Wishing that he knew Bayville as well as he'd known New Orleans, Remy ran before any of the bots could catch up to him.

Suddenly, he was skidding into Bayville Park. Jean was a few feet in front of him… as were half a dozen bots. "Oh, _merde_." He pulled out his cards and started flinging them left and right.

_Watch it!_ Jean "yelled".

"Got bigger problems at the moment, _jolie_!" He threw a card and the last of the bots exploded… so he thought. He turned to face Jean, coming face-to-face with the razor of a bot he'd missed.

Scott and Rogue had found their way from their alley to the park now. "Computer!" Rogue yelled. "End sim!"

The bot froze, halfway through slicing apart Remy's headband. Bayville faded away to the normal metal room.

"The hell was that, Cajun?" Logan demanded over the mic.

"That was me nearly becoming fish food," Remy mumbled, pulling off his whole headpiece. He shook his hair out of its usual bowl shape, wiping away the blood on his forehead. His freed hair hung nearly to his shoulders.

"You all right, swamp rat?" Rogue asked, the very picture of Not Caring.

"Been better."

"How could you be so sloppy, Gumbo?" Logan interjected.

"It's kind of hard to hack a sim designed for partners alone. I was trying to find the others when I ended up here."

"Well, who was your partner?" Scott asked.

"Kurt, but he never showed- I reminded him and everything."

"Did he say anything to you, Mr. Logan?" Kitty asked.

"Haven't heard a thing from Elf since yesterday, Half-Pint," Logan replied. "Get changed. Cajun, when you're done, go find Elf and tell him he's got punishment detail for a week for skipping a session."

"Got it," Remy replied.

As they walked out, Rogue said, "So that's what your hair looks like when it's outta your lame head-thingy?"

Remy looked at her incredulously, probably because of _head-thingy_. "Well, yeah. What's the matter with it?"

"Nothing… it looks better like this, actually. Goes with the five-o-clock shadow."

Remy stuck his tongue out at her before disappearing into the guy's locker room.

"I wonder what happened to Kurt," Kitty murmured. "Do you think he's sick?"

"Nah, half the mansion'd know by now. Sneeze-bamfing."

"I guess he must've forgot, then. I don't envy him."

"Me neither. Logan's pissed."

O-o-O-o-O

Remy, back in his civvies (not that his uniform was much different; he just wore a breastplate and ditched his trench coat) and sans his "head-thingy", knocked on Kurt's door. "Hey, _mon ami_, you in here?"

When there was no answer, Remy shrugged and opened the door, figuring he'd find his friend asleep or at least a note explaining why he'd ditched. Instead, he found an empty room. From the looks of it, Kurt had been getting ready before he left. "Kurt?"

"Um, up here."

Remy looked from side to side, then at the ceiling. Kurt was clinging to it… somehow. His tridactyl feet and hands were splayed across the wood, and he was grinning nervously. "_Kurt_?"

"I'm stuck," Kurt said, sounding sheepish. He pried one of his hands from the ceiling with some effort. "See?"

"Um…" 

"Yeah, I know, it's weird. But it's me. It should be expected."

"I'm gonna go get the prof, k, Kurt? He should be able to help."

"No, no, don't, please. I'd prefer it if nobody else found out… I'm enough of a freak."

Remy crossed his arms. "Kurt, if you keep calling yourself a freak, I'm gonna _have_ to get the prof, 'cause obviously you need your head examined. I know what it's like to be weird." He indicated his eyes.

"But not this weird," Kurt mumbled.

"Ok, I won't tell the prof… can I at least get Kitty? She's wondering where you're at, and she could probably help you get unstuck."

"The _last_ person I want to know is Kitty. A) I'm in my boxers, and B) she already has problems with me." Kurt scuttled along the rafters and down the wall. "I can get down myself… I hope."

"Sure 'bout that, Kurt?"

"Positive."

"All right, man, but if you ain't out in ten minutes, I'm bringing Pryde in."

O-o-O-o-O

Kurt, of course, hadn't managed to free himself in ten minutes. Rather, he'd just managed to get stuck to the bedpost. "Hate. My. Life," he muttered, trying to free himself. "Why can't I ever just have a regular day?"

There was a knock at his door.

"_Scheisse_! Remy, go away!"

"He knows it's you?" Kitty whispered.

"I told him I'd bring you if he didn't come out," Remy replied. 

Kitty shook her head. "Kurt, I'm coming in, ok?"

Kurt spazzed. The only thing that resulted from his fit was that he was now somehow behind his headrest, which was ok with him. Kitty seeing him in his boxers wasn't.

Kitty walked through the door and across the room. "I'm kind of insulted, Kurt," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm your best friend, and you don't trust me?"

Kurt blushed dark under his fur. "Kitty, I'm not dressed."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to care?"

"Well, I do!"

"Don't be thick." She walked over to the bed. "Why didn't you just bamf?" she asked, phasing him through the wood so he was next to her on the mattress.

"Tried, got stuck again where I landed," Kurt mumbled, grabbing at his sheet.

"God, Kurt, it's not like I've never seen you without your shirt off."

"It's not that I don't want you to see," Kurt said, _sotto voce_.

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Look, if you stick to something again, tell me, ok? You might be getting some new power or something."

"I'd really rather not consider that."

"I really don't know what your problem is," Kitty muttered. "Calm down, would you? Usually, you'd be making the most of this opportunity."

"I'm not having a good day, ok, Kitty? I'm freaking Spiderman and now I probably have punishment detail."

Kitty nodded sadly. "I don't envy you."

"I don't think anyone ever envies me, Kitty," Kurt replied with a bittersweet smile.

"Quit being so self-pitying. You're supposed to be ridiculously self-confident."

"And you're supposed to be able to see through my façade."

"I can. And right now, I see an idiot."

Kurt stuck his tongue out at her.

"That's better. Now get dressed."

"Could you leave, then?"

Kitty hugged him, then phased through the floor into the kitchen.

Remy was at the table already, nibbling on a muffin.

"Quit looking at me like that."

Remy feigned innocence. "Like what?"

"Like you're going to ask about me and Kurt," Kitty snapped, grabbing the muffin out of his hands for his insolence.

"You said it, not me, _Chaton_."

Kitty glared at him, stuffing the whole muffin in her mouth so Remy wouldn't get any ideas.

Remy, still saintly, replied, "_Chaton_, I'm just curious, since both of you seem confused at the moment."

"Confused is an understatement," Kitty kvetched. She found another muffin and began to pick it apart as she spoke. "I mean, I know Kurt had a crush on me when I first came to the mansion. I was kinda scared of him, so we didn't get along for our first few days… then, when we tried to recruit Rogue, we, like, bonded. I guess I thought he got over it. I suppose that's pretty dumb, actually… Kurt's, like, totally unassuming. But I started going with Lance, and we became better friends, so I kinda forgot about his thing for me."

Remy plucked a muffin piece from her fingers, frowning. "What's this about Rogue?"

Kitty blinked at the change of subject, then realized she shouldn't have been surprised. "I thought you knew… Rogue was pretty messed up when she first got her powers. Mystique made her think we were the enemy, so she ran with the Brotherhood for a while."

Remy said nothing, his red-on-black eyes impassive. After a moment, he asked, "So what do _you_ think of Kurt?"

Kitty fidgeted. "Oh, I dunno… He's my best friend." She propped her chin on her fist. "I don't think it would be weird, though… in fact, it might be kinda nice," she added, with a faraway smile on her face.

Remy smirked, grabbing the remains of her pastry . "_Touché_."

Kitty, of course, was too lost in her own muddled thoughts to notice.

(And there's another chapter done, in which we see why this is the "Power Surge" series… I started with Kurt because he has the most nifty powers, and don't worry. I pick up one of Evo's plotholes later. Can I have some more of those lovely reviews, please?)


	3. Winter Coat

Disclaimer: "Yes, well, the difference is that you're sickeningly handsome, while I look increasingly like my aunt Mildred."

(An: I can be speedy when I feel like it… I'm surprised I'm getting such a good response for this; I was only expecting one or two reviews per chapter. Oh, btw, "Tiger" is what Mary Jane calls Peter… what? I like to be well-versed in my fandom. And "A Fan," you might be excited to know that Morph has a fairly large part in the next story…)

The next day at breakfast, Kitty caught up to Kurt. "Nothing sticky today?"

Kurt smiled, holding up his fingers to show they were bare. "Nope, nothing. I'm glad of it, too- I hate Spiderman's outfit."

"Well, if you're Spidey, then who's MJ?" Before Kurt could invent a suitable reply, Kitty had tackled Remy as he entered the room. "Surrender the muffin and no one gets hurt."

Remy sighed melodramatically but relinquished his repast.

"He owes me one," Kitty explained to no one in particular, getting up.

Remy called her something rude in French, not bothering to move from the floor.

"The things I do for banana nut…" Kitty turned back to Kurt, who had regained his cool and was snickering. "Quiet, Tiger… sure you're ok?"

"Eh, I think it was just a fluke- something rubbed my fur the wrong way, you know?" He flashed Kitty a bright smile, squatting on his chair and twining his tail around it so Kitty couldn't see that it was thrashing. It had become very hard to lie around her without his fifth limb giving him away lately. _Verdammt hormones_, Kurt thought. _Why did Remy have to remind me? It's not like I don't have enough problems without rekindling my crush on my best friend…_

Rogue appeared. Her every movement seemed a monumental effort. She sat down, burying her head in her hands.

Remy prodded her. "_Chere_? You alive in there?"

Rogue growled at him. This didn't dissuade Remy from grabbing the seat next to her, though. "I have a _headache_," Rogue snarled, in a way that suggested Remy's presence would make it worse.

Remy, however, was still unruffled and began digging around in his pockets. "Aspirin?"

Rogue blinked. After a moment, she replied, "I don't think it'll help with the voices in my head, swamp rat. Thanks anyway."

Remy winced. "I got headaches before my powers set in, _chere_- I know the feeling."

"But I've already got my powers… and I think I'd have to kill myself if something new developed."

Remy scrutinized her, frowning, and made an odd gesture, like he wanted to put an arm around her shoulders, then stopped.

Rogue didn't notice; she had slumped all the way over the table.

"Hey, earth to Kurt!" Kitty said, snapping her fingers in his face. She paused, then looked him over. "You haven't heard a word I've said."

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry, Kitty. I find it hard to focus when- well…" He held up his left hand. His fork was clinging stubbornly to it.

"Oh, Kurt…" Kitty reached over and tugged at the fork. "I think it's sticking to your _skin_…" Kitty got it off, shaking her head.

"Joy." Kurt blushed as Kitty smoothed his fur into place.

"Hey, this could come in handy if you could figure out how not to stick to _everything_…"

"I guess, if I ever needed to paint my ceiling."

Kitty laughed, and Kurt wasn't sure to be relieved or wistful when she finally let go of his hand.

O-o-O-o-O

Over the next few days, Kitty began to notice something about Kurt- his bamfs, rather.

"Is it just me, or has he started leaving Kurt-shaped clouds everywhere?" Kitty asked.

Rogue mumbled something. She was nursing another headache.

It was true, though; in addition to smoke, Kurt had started generating piles of blue fur wherever he teleported.

Kitty loked at her friend, realized she wasn't going to get an answer, and went to find Kurt.

O-o-O-o-O

She found him in room, brushing his tail.

When Kurt noticed her, he offered her a crooked grin. "I've noticed, believe me. I'm trying to get the extra out before someone can make another me." He rolled over on the bed, onto his stomach. Using his tail like an extra hand, he reached up under his shirt with his brush. "I've never shed like this before- must be putting on a winter coat." He laughed nervously. "The only good thing that's come out of this- ow, clump- is that I figured out the sticky thing. It _is_ my skin- the professor said that it's probably been like that for a while now, except that I didn't notice because of my fur or something." He winced as he tugged at another knot.

"Here, let me," Kitty said, taking the comb. Kurt shifted uncomfortably, but Kitty just rolled her eyes and tugged at his shirt. "Help me to help you, fuzzy."

Kurt fumbled for his words and for the brush. "I'd really rather just do it myself."

"But it's easier for me to do it, and I want to help you."

Kurt's tail twitched this way and that; he was thinking. The moment was charged with something, but Kitty didn't really want to think about with what. Not yet, anyway. She needed more time to consider the whole thing. After a moment, Kurt sighed and pulled off his shirt.

She _had_ seen him shirtless before, but there was something annoyingly different about this time. It was incredibly irritating, this weird feeling cropping up between them. Mostly because neither of them were willing to talk about it; it was better to have an invisible nuisance than a recognizable emotion.

Kitty shook her head at her own foolishness and began brushing the tangles out of Kurt's fur. 

After a moment… "Kurt, are you _purring_?"

"Kitty, you have no idea how nice this feels. I haven't been brushed since I was little- I think the last time Mama bothered was when I was six."

"Well, then, why were you so vehemently opposed to me doing it?" Kitty already knew the answer, but she wanted to see how Kurt would frame it.

"Well, put it this way… it'd be a very bad idea for me to roll over right now."

Kitty turned red. "That's gross, Kurt!"

"But true, sadly… I'm a guy. You should be expecting it."

"Yeah, but you're not a jerk like most guys…" Kitty started brushing him again, just for the sake of having something to do with her hands. "Or a total perv like Remy."

Kurt chuckled softly. "I think he mostly does that to make Rogue hit him."

"Yeah, I kinda figure he likes it kinky."

Kurt snorted.

"You know, I think your fur's getting darker," Kitty murmured.

"Really?" Kurt asked, craning his neck and trying to see his back.

"It's not so much cerulean anymore- more like midnight." She finished grooming him and stuck the brush in his face, offering him it back.

Kurt sat up, squatting on the bed with his back turned. He took the brush and turned it over in his hands, thinking again. After a moment, he held it out to her. "I, um, I do like it when you do it…"

Kitty frowned, sitting beside him. "Kurt…"

He sighed, the spaded end of his tail quivering. "I know." Kitty could tell he was extremely uncomfortable; his accent had crept back into his voice. "I'm sorry, Kitty. I'd stop making things so awkward if I could… I'm afraid I don't have that level of self-control, though. I won't bother you about it, but I can't change the way I feel- not for lack of trying, 'course."

"Kurt." Kitty reached over and made him look at her. "That's not what I'm saying at all. I get it, ok? I just need more time to think about this whole deal, ok?"

Kurt blinked at her for a moment, as though he was having trouble processing what she said. Which was probably it- Kurt had the most annoying self-esteem issues. "…Oh," he managed after a moment.

"God, Tiger, you need to work on your pick-up lines. Look, we'll talk about this more later, ok? Like, whenever you've stopped having… issues." She indicated the fur-clogged brush.

Kurt smiled a little. "I can work with that."

(It's really hard keeping these two apart… probably because I've been wanting to write a Kurtty for ages. Oh, well, I can indulge myself later in the fic. If you read the 'Nutter's stuff… well, I can't help the references. Her idea of Kurt lives in my head and makes rude comments about his Evo self.)


	4. Shrift

Disclaimer: "I just want one shot of me in a wedding dress that isn't bright turquoise."

(An: Kurt's eye color isn't consistent in Evo… ever… his described color here is what they were in the first episode- ordinary eyes, funny color. And btw, Kurt's sticking is a comic thing. He never showed any sign of it in Evo.)

The next morning, Kurt stayed in bed for a few minutes after waking up, staring at the ceiling. His eyes stung, like he'd jumped in a pool without closing them. He blinked, and after a moment they stopped smarting. He got up (vaguely noting that he had left an imprint of blue fur) and walked over to his dresser, digging around in it for his clothes. Stretching, Kurt caught sight of himself in the mirror and nearly fell over.

Kitty was right; his fur _was_ darker, although that wasn't what caught his gaze… He leaned forward, pulling down his eyelid. His eyes were their usual amber color, but his irises had… spread, somehow. He didn't have any whites or pupils anymore; his eyes were unbroken gold.

_What is_ wrong _with me?_

After confirming that they weren't going to go back to any semblance of normal eyes, Kurt sighed and finished getting dressed. It was going to be a long day.

O-o-O-o-O

By mid-morning, he already knew he should have worn a shirt that said, "No, I don't know what's up with my eyes." He'd gotten four "Are you ok?"s (from Remy, Rogue, Ororo, and Jean), two "Duuude"s (from Evan and Bobby), and a "Like, that's strange…" (from Kitty, obviously).

Kurt sighed, rubbing his temples and hoping his choice of sitting in the common room with his friends wouldn't earn him more awkward questions. Someone reached over and touched his hand. "Hey, Kurt," said Kitty, "don't spaz about it." He knew what she meant. "You look cool this way. It makes you unique… well, _more_ unique."

Kurt opened one of his traitorous orbs. "Kitty, I think I've had far more 'unique' than I can handle in one lifetime."

Kitty leaned back in her seat. "Well, _I_ think they make you look cool, anyway. You could give Remy a run for his money."

This startled a laugh out of him.

"See? Yeah! You could totally buy in on the eye thing. Remy says they add sex appeal… not that I believe him."

Remy, who was sitting on the couch, grabbed his chest as though he'd been shot and fell over with a pitiful whimper. Rogue shot him a disgusted look and kicked him.

Remy opened one eye. "Don't you know it's not nice to kick people when they're down, _chere_?"

"Nah, I skipped that lesson in People Skills 101," Rogue replied, settling back in her seat and smirking at him.

Remy sighed, rubbing his leg. "It's true what they say- no rest for the sexy."

"You're not sexy!" Kitty and Rogue yelled in unison.

"Ah, nobody here loves me," Remy muttered, getting up. "I'm gonna go find some of those midget girls. At least _they_ appreciate me."

"They'd appreciate you less if they knew you called them midgets," Rogue pointed out, but Remy just flapped a hand at her as he left.

Kurt fiddled with the tip of his tail; without a direct distraction, he returned to brooding. "I dunno, Kitty," he murmured. "I just… I want some answers… Why is this all happening now? I'm almost seventeen- I'm way past the age for my powers to kick in."

"Yeah, well, Remy didn't get his 'til he was nineteen," Rogue pointed out. "Admittedly, the boy's a strange case, but still."

"It never ends!" came a Cajun yell from the hallway.

Rogue smiled and shook her head.

"But what else could happen to me? I mean, seriously. First my skin, then my fur, now my eyes… what next, am I gonna grow another tail? Or bat wings? As if I weren't enough of a demon…"

Kitty frowned. "Oh, Kurt, is that what this is all about?"

Kurt sighed, hiding his face in his hands. "Whenever the subject of my… uniqueness comes up, Kitty, that's what it's about."

"You're not a demon. You're the nicest guy on the planet."

"And you've got way more sex appeal than the Cajun to boot," Rogue added.

Kurt looked at her, totally weirded out."

"I mostly said that to annoy him," she whispered.

"I heard that!" Remy shouted, still from the hallway.

"I know!"

"Screw you, woman!"

"I got two words for you, Cajun: you wish."

This got Remy to actually stick his head in the room. "Oh, I do."

"Would you two, like, get out of here? I'm trying to talk to Kurt!" Kitty snapped.

"Aw, _chaton_, don't you love me anymore?" Remy asked, his red and black eyes going wide and puppyish.

"Get out!" Rogue and Kitty shrieked in unison.

Remy pouted before disappearing.

"This is, like, so annoying," Kitty muttered.

"I thought you outgrew the Valley Girl speak," Rogue commented.

"She's stressed," Kurt replied for her.

Kitty blinked.

Kurt's tail began to twitch. He knew how not to upset her, though; looking at the wall instead of into her eyes, he said, "I make it a point to know you well, all right?"

Rogue frowned, looked at both of her friends, made a disgusted noise, and walked out, presumably to beat up on Remy.

Neither Kurt nor Kitty noticed, of course. Kitty was thinking again, and Kurt was pointedly not looking at her.

After a minute, Kurt stood up. "Look, Kitty, I wanna find out what's wrong with me."

"There is nothing wrong-" Kitty began, but Kurt held up a hand.

"I'm going to go find my mother."

This silenced Kitty; she watched him walk out, her large blue eyes pensive.

O-o-O-o-O

Kurt knew he would never find his mother if he was actively looking for her; if she was in town, she would come to him, as long as he was patient. Rather, he decided to go to confession. It had been a while since he'd set foot in his own church, after all.

After admitting his iniquities and doing penance, he walked out of the cathedral, feeling somewhat better about himself. He could set foot in a church- that had to mean there was no true corruption in his soul. It was just in his body, and if he was lucky, there would be someone lurking around who could explain it and finally put his mind at rest.

After a while, Kurt was indeed fortunate. Someone was following him. He walked into the park and sat down on a bench, very aware of the dark-haired woman behind him. He waited until she was close enough, then said, "Hello, mother."

The woman approached, leaning on the bench. Only the way she gripped the bench belied her discomfort. "Hello, Kurt. What do you need?"

"Is there somewhere private we can talk? I have to show you something?"

Mystique walked off without a word. Kurt followed, hoping that their discussion wouldn't get interrupted again.

She led him into town, not towards the Brotherhood's, but to a small apartment. "Irene told me that you would begin to… change again." At Kurt's puzzled look, she added, "Destiny." She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she shook her head. She sat down on a stool by the island in her kitchen, morphing back to her usual form. Kurt perched on an adjacent seat, turning off his image inducer.

Mystique looked him over, frowning. She reached behind herself and switched on a lamp. "What happened to your fur?"

"I'm, uh, shedding," Kurt said, checking around in case his swishing tail was leaving a trail on the floor.

"I mean the color. I couldn't see you without the light."

Kurt blinked. "Am I really getting that dark?" _Is this cool, or does it make me even more of a freak?_

"And your eyes, too," Mystique murmured.

"Yeah, that's why I came to find you."

"Oh, Kurt…" Mystique closed her eyes. After a moment, she said, "You weren't born like that. You didn't have fur, but you had your tail, hands, and feet." She smiled a little bit. "As well as my eyes." She paused. "Magneto said that he could fix them," she continued in a rush, as though afraid the words wouldn't come if she said them slowly. "He could even get rid of your tail if things in the village got worse. I was desperate, Kurt- the villagers were already suspicious of me since I was an outsider, and I… I just wanted you to live a normal life.

"But Magneto betrayed me. He tampered with you- made your X-gene manifest early. Or part of it, anyway. He didn't have enough time to bring the rest of your powers out.

"So I ran. I took you before he could make it worse. I loved that you were different, Kurt, but I wanted… I wanted time for you to come to grips with it, instead of having to deal with hatred all your life. It was too late, though. The villagers set their dogs on my scent- I couldn't hide it then. I knew the Wagners could give you a better life than I could, so I let you go." Mystique hid her face in her hands.

Kurt focused on uncoiling his tail from the chair leg (it had fled there at the threat of dismemberment), because he had seen the flash of tears in her eyes. Calling her _mother_ and treating her as one came naturally to Kurt once he'd gotten used to it, but seeing the ruthless woman crying? That would just be too weird. He waited for a few minutes, then said, "Thank you." He got up to leave.

Mystique looked up, then said, "There's a photograph on the table as you come in. Could you give it to Rogue, please? Tell her it's a present from Risty."

"Um, all right…"

"Do you hate me, Kurt?"

Kurt (who was just opening the door) paused and turned, looking at his mother incredulously. "Why would I? You didn't do anything to me on purpouse, and I wouldn't be who I am today without you." _Not that that's saying much, but still._

Mystique studied him a moment, then said, "Merry Christmas."

Kurt grinned at her with a little wave. "You too." He grabbed the photo on the table without really looking at it before leaving.

(AAAGH. FFN wouldn't let me post a blessed thing for the past week or so. -eye twitches- Sorry. My next update will be faster, I promise. I just have to sit down and write it.)


	5. Family

Disclaimer: "And, uh, you live there with your husband, boyfriend, three illegitimate but charming children?"

(An: I really suck, I know. The thing is, my outline has been missing since June, and only now have I had the motivation/time to actually forge on without it. I'm giving this a different ending (which will hopefully be less clichéd). This chapter is mostly filler, but there is some bait to dangle over your heads…)

Kurt returned to the mansion, feeling kind of dazed. Rogue and Kitty were still in the common room, both looking at him expectantly for news. Remy was there too, playing solitaire and pretending not to be interested in his friend's reappearance. Kurt waved them off with the vague "personal stuff", only remembering about the photograph in his pocket as he was leaving the room. He set it in front of Rogue. "Mystique said to tell you it was from Risty… isn't she that British chick you hang around?"

Rogue nodded absently, studying the picture. She picked up the frame and brought it close to her nose, as though it were a 3-D image, and if she studied it right, she'd see a different illustration.

The picture itself was the kind of thing you see on walls in homes everywhere- a family portrait. It featured Irene and a lovely, dark-haired woman smiling at the camera. Irene was sitting down, and the woman had an arm around her chair. The little girl in Irene's lap was wearing an uncharacteristic grin, the skunk stripes in her hair falling in her face. The woman behind her had once been known as Principal Darkholme.

Rogue touched the glass, a faraway look in her eyes. "There was this lady who used to come around, right after Irene adopted me. She'd just show up every once in a while. I liked it when she did 'cause it would always be a special day… we'd go for ice cream or to the park or something." She looked at Kurt. "Her name was Raven."

_This_ caught Kurt's attention. He looked down at the picture, then back at Rogue. "So… um… you knew Mystique?"

"She was my other mom… that was what Irene told me to call her, anyway." She shuddered a little. "If I hadn't came here, she'd still have joint custody of me." She set the picture on the table quickly, as though it burned her fingertips.

"So if Mystique's my birth mother and your adoptive mother, that makes us half-siblings, sort of." Kurt shrugged. "Weird. It's kinda cool, though."

Rogue wasn't listening. "Why'd she say the picture was from Risty, though?" she murmured.

"Maybe she knows your real parents…?" Kurt suggested, shrugging again. "Who knows?"

"Yeah, you're right… she's probably trying to mess with us again." Rogue got up and left. Kitty and Kurt exchanged concerned glances.

Kitty sighed. "I bet she's going to go, like, beat the crap out of something in the Danger Room."

"Should we-?" Kurt asked, looking the way Rogue had gone.

Kitty shook her head. "We'll let her deal with it on her own… she'll just get mad if we try to force her to talk about it."

O-o-O-o-O

Later that night, there was a quiet knock at Kurt's door. "'Sopen," he mumbled, emerging from his bed.

"Don't think I'll ever get used to that," Rogue said quietly, sitting beside him on the bed.

Kurt reached over and turned on the lamp so Rogue could actually see him. "It's actually pretty cool. My Halloween costume is even better than last year's!"

"…Kurt, you went as yourself."

"Exactly!"

Rogue rolled her eyes and plucked at his sheets, seeming nervous. "So… 'bout this Mystique thing."

Kurt wiggled so he could look her in the eye and slipped his hand into hers. "Yeah, weird, I know. But she's really not that bad."

Rogue stood up and moved away, an odd look in her eyes. "I'm not sure if I can see it that way," she murmured.

"Hey, wait-"

"Night, Kurt," said Rogue, shutting the door.

Kurt huffed, falling back on his bed.

O-o-O-o-O

On Monday, Remy was surprised to glance at his clock and discover he hadn't been awakened at six-thirty by Kurt's version of "Yellow Submarine" for once. Meandering down to the kitchen, he was surprised to see his fuzzy friend wasn't there. He glanced at Morph. "You seen Kurt?"

Morph shrugged. "Not this morning." He grinned blissfully. "I didn't hear him, either… ah, sleep. I'd missed it so." He snatched his coffee away from Warlock. "It'll stunt your growth." The alien stared at him. "…Fine." Morph relinquished the cup as Remy left.

Remy wandered upstairs and knocked on Kurt's door. "Hey, _mon ami_, you in there?" Remy peeked into his friend's room. "Kurt?" Even though he could see well in the dark, he couldn't tell if the lump under the blankets was breathing.

A pair of yellow lights appeared. "Sneh?"

"You're not up yet?" Remy asked. "The eternal morning person is dead to the world?"

Kurt sat up, making a face. Blinking made him completely invisible. He squinted at his clock. "Oh, crap! How many times did I hit snooze?" Kurt climbed out of bed and went over to his dresser, digging around for his clothes. He covered a jaw-cracking yawn, digging around for his clothes. "I just can't seem to get going today. I'm so tired…"

"Bad dreams?"

Kurt shook his head, pulling on a shirt. "No, that's just it. I slept fine, but I feel like I stayed up all night. I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep all weekend. I've been really hungry, too."

"Strange."

Kurt nodded, halfway into his pants. "Would you go bug Rogue or something? I feel like I'm doing a striptease in reverse."

Remy rolled his eyes and went back downstairs.

Kurt bamfed to the kitchen and almost fell off the table. "Whoa…" he mumbled, looking dazed.

Warlock glanced at him. "Are you all right, Kurt?"

Kurt sat down and began to take some of every food he could reach. "Yeah, I'm fine. But now I'm tired _and_ starving."

"So you've finally hit adolescence?" Morph drawled. "I think that's taking 'late bloomer' to extremes."

"Ha ha." Kurt scowled and stuffed some bacon in his mouth.

"God, Kurt, I think it's a new record, even for you," Rogue said, eyeing his overflowing plate.

He shrugged. "That last 'port really took it out of me. Maybe it's because I was already tired…" He shrugged again and inhaled the rest of his food. "Kitty, are you walking to school?" When she nodded, he grinned. "Great… do you mind if we stop at the Gut Bomb on the way?"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Good to see you're feeling better."

"Sarcasm? Darling, you wound me."

Kitty made a face at him but grabbed her stuff.

"So are you going to stay here for Christmas vacation?" Kurt asked once they were out of the mansion.

Kitty shrugged. "I guess… why?"

"Well, you know, I usually go home, but I was thinking about staying here this year. If Rogue's my sister, I should be with her… and I don't wanna explain my makeover to my parents."

"Kurt, they took you in before…"

"Oh, no, it's not that. I know they'll always accept me, but I glow in the dark now. They'll never stop with the cracks about radioactive slime."

Kitty snorted. "It'll be kind of weird, though, seeing the mansion so empty."

"Remy, Morph, and me, Kitty. It'll be just like normal. Except more awkward."

"Is _that_ why you asked me to walk with you?" Kitty demanded, stopping short. "Kurt, look at me." He met her eyes reluctantly, and Kitty grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him. She pulled back quickly, blushing. "You're the best friend I've ever had. I want to take things slow so I don't mess it up."

Kurt blinked. For the second time in less than a week, Kitty had left him utterly poleaxed.

Kitty clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

Kurt blinked as she started walking again. "Hey, wait," he said, walking faster to get ahead of her. "I've had a thing for you for three years, and that's all I get? I don't think so." Before Kitty could say anything, he took her face in his hands and leaned in so their noses were almost touching.

"Um…?" said Kitty, blinking rapidly.

Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be a genius?" Kurt didn't let her answer; he just kissed her.

It would have been a perfect moment, had Scott not spotted them while driving by. He slowed down only long enough to yell, "You're gonna be late!", before driving off again, but that was enough.

"We really should get to school," Kitty said, blushing again.

"I suppose you're right," Kurt sighed. He looked like a puppy denied its favorite toy.

"Oh, suck it up, fuzzball. You can wait another couple of hours."

Kurt made a face at her, but he didn't protest further. He took her hand, and they walked off.

O-o-O-o-O

Remy was enjoying having the couch in the common room to himself for once when he heard the front door slam. Figuring it was Logan, he stayed where he was until Rogue passed through the room. Remy looked up, confused. "_Chere_? What're you doing here?"

Rogue ignored him.

Remy hopped to his feet and fell into step beside her. "Rogue?"

Rogue didn't look at him. Rather, she asked, "What would you do if your best friend wasn't who you thought they were?"

Remy, who had yet to hear about the picture and its implications, blinked. "Um… come back early, I guess. What happened?"

Rogue shrugged. "I ran into Mystique."

He glanced at her. "Where? She followed you?"

"Nah. She was posing as a student. Risty Wilde."

Now Remy full-on stared. "For how long?" he asked in a much softer voice. He knew how close the two girls were.

Rogue shrugged. "The whole time, probably." She made a face. "My best friend was actually my creepy, stalkerish adoptive mom."

Remy blinked, stopping short. "Mystique- you- I'm not making the connections, _chere_."

Rogue shrugged again. "I didn't tell you yet. I wanted some time to think."

"What happened?"

Rogue sighed, walking into the kitchen and sitting down. She explained about the picture and her relationship with Mystique. "I confronted her about it, and she turned into her real form. She tried to talk with me, but-" Rogue shook her head. "I didn't wanna hear it. So I left. If Logan asks, I'll tell him she attacked me." She propped her chin on her fist. "See, this is why I like being friends with you. I already know all of your secrets." (1)

Remy made a face at her. "You don't have to rub it in."

(I wasn't intending to have Kitty and Kurt hook up in this chapter… dang fluffbunnies. The next chapter'll be up ASAP. Huzzah for pre-writing-ness! Posted this at school; forgot to get rid of the HTML. Sorry.)

(1) For those of you who haven't read "Big Boom", Rogue met Remy when he was on the run from the Guilds, after his botched marriage to Belladonna. When his powers manifested, he accidentally killed a few people, but I figure that Remy's too young (he's twenty-ish in this fic) to have gotten into some of the -really- nasty stuff that he did in the comics. So Remy isn't keeping anything from her, just in case you thought that.


	6. Food

Disclaimer: "The SAS are absolutely charming. Ruthless, trained killers are just a phone call away."

(An: And now we see the effects of the replot. Mwahahah... Morlock gave me the information, some of which I ignored. But at least I was informed when I did. Ms. Marvel… well, I took the Evo way out- she's just an ordinary mutant (she actually got her powers by accident from a Kree machine). She's not much of a player in this anyway.)

Kitty and Kurt never ended up having their talk. At least, not on their own terms. After fourth period, the X-men were all called down to the office and told they were to go back to the mansion. When Scott asked, the secretary just shrugged and told them it was all the message said. Then she paused and added, "He also said that Rogue was already there."

They exchanged glances. "Did she leave early?" Kitty asked Jean, once they were in the hallway.

Jean looked around. "She must have. I can't sense her." She looked back at Kitty. "She might have absorbed someone… the professor said she's been having problems with her powers."

O-o-O-o-O

When they arrived back at the mansion, the X-men suited up and collected in the professor's study. Rogue, Remy, Logan, Ororo, and Hank were already there; the professor was in Cerebro's chamber.

"Where were you?" Kitty hissed to Rogue.

The Southerner shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear."I-" The door to Cerebro opened, and the professor wheeled in. "I'll tell you later," Rogue whispered.

"What's going on?" Logan asked, folding his arms.

"Cerebro has detected a powerful new mutant upstate," Xavier replied, pressing a button. A painting on the wall changed to a picture of a pretty, blonde cheerleader. "Carol Danvers, age sixteen. Her manifested powers are super strength and a 'seventh sense' which alerts her to danger. I believe her potential includes flight and possibly invulnerability."

Logan whistled. "The kid's a walking weapon, _and_ nobody can touch her." Rogue, in the background, made a face. Logan ignored her.

Xavier nodded. "I believe she is unaware of the full depth of her abilities, however." His lips twitched. "Cerebro detected her when she used her strength to throw a watermelon from a rooftop." Remy snorted. "The problem is, Magneto already appears to be on her trail… Cerebro picked up Pyro one city over."

"Anything else, Professor?" Scott asked. When Xavier shook his head, Scott nodded. "Come on, let's go."

"Why hurry?" Remy asked. "It's not like anyone's gonna be able to make her do anything."

O-o-O-o-O

Things were quiet in the X-jet, even though all of the senior X-men were onboard. Except for Scott and Jean, no one was talking. The only other sound on the jet was Remy making use of the airsickness bag. Kurt was staring out the window and fidgeting. He had his legs pulled up to his chest and was massaging them. He didn't notice he was being spoken to until Kitty snapped her fingers in his face. He glanced at her. "Huh?"

"I asked if you were all right," said Kitty. "You look kinda…" She cocked her head. "Twitchy."

Kurt finally noticed the motion of his hands, paused, and shrugged. "I can't help it. I've been sore all day, but now it's worse… it's probably because I didn't get to have lunch." He looked at Kitty with wide, golden eyes and the most pathetic expression he could muster. "Make me feel better!" he cried, throwing out his arms.

Kitty was unimpressed. "Later. We have to focus now. This is important… besides," she added in a whisper, "Mr. Logan's up front. Do you really want the 'don't make me turn this jet around!' bit?"

Kurt sighed and settled back in his seat. "Well, will you at least pass me some energy bars?"

O-o-O-o-O

The X-men seperated into groups. Evan, Scott, and Jean headed east, Logan, Rogue, and Hank headed west, Ororo and Kitty went north, and Kurt and Remy headed south. "Stick to rooftops," said Logan, before they split up. "The girl sounds like she likes heights. And if you see any of Magneto's goons, _don't engage_!"

Remy and Kurt went inside the first place they could, a department store, and snuck up to the roof. Remy was grinning like a madman. "What?" Kurt asked.

Remy pulled out his bo staff and extended it, twirling it. "It's been too long," he sighed, still grinning.

"Since what?"

To answer his question, Remy took off at a run and used his staff to polevault to the next roof. "This!" he yelled, waving for Kurt to join him.

Kurt rolled his eyes and bamfed to his friend's side. He almost collapsed when he reappeared, grimacing.

Remy put away his bo staff and helped Kurt stand up. He snapped his fingers in Kurt's face. "Hey, hey, _mon ami_, look at me. What's wrong?"

Kurt shook his head. "I probably shouldn't do that again," he mumbled, rubbing his arms. "Now _everything_ aches…"

Remy swore under his breath. "We should probably find McCoy… you're dead on your feet."

"I thought you lot were mutants, not Vulcans," said a nonchalant voice. "But that one _does_ have the ears."

Remy looked up, spotting an orange-haired teen playing with a lighter. Now Remy swore out loud.

"Hey, that ain't nice," said the Aussie, straightening up. "If you're not Vulcans, you should just say so. Name-calling is childish."

_Ok,_ thought Remy. _Kurt's no good, so I guess I've gotta deal with this freak _and_ keep him alive._ Remy swore again.

The Aussie shook his head, clicking his tongue in disgust. "Bad, bad Cajun!" He flipped open the lighter. "I guess you'll have to be punished after all." A stream of fire surrounded Remy and Kurt.

O-o-O-o-O

In another part of town, Rogue was stepping out of a stairwell onto the roof of one of the tallest buildings in their section. A blonde girl was leaning over the side, staring down and grinning. A carton of eggs lay open by her feet. "Found her," Rogue whispered into her com.

"Just keep her there awhile," Logan replied. "Beast and I are on our way."

"Hi," said Rogue, joining the girl. 

Carol held up a hand (the other was holding an egg) and murmured, "Shh."

Rogue raised an eyebrow but shut up. After a moment, Carol's grin widened, and one of the passers-by got an egg to the face. Giggling manically, Carol yanked Rogue down before anyone could see them. "God, I love doing that!" She actually looked at Rogue now and raised an eyebrow at her clothing. "Oh, great, another one… except you've got a better costume. Do you have a better vocabulary, too?"

"So one of Magneto's goons already found you," Rogue muttered, rolling her eyes. "Let me guess- tall, dark, Russian?"

"He would have been so _hot_ if he hadn't attacked me," Carol nodded. "That's why I'm up here. He didn't seem to like heights." She stood up again, picking up another egg. "So what's your story?"

Rogue looked down. Logan and Beast were nowhere in sight. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, my name's Rogue. I'm not here to bother you, I'm after the guys who attacked you."

"Why?"

"Because they're bastards."

"Ah. So is protecting me just a side-effect?"

"Nah, I'm supposed to give you this big recruiting speech. But I don't feel like it."

Carol smirked. "I can live with that."

O-o-O-o-O

The fire swirled around Kurt and Remy into a dome. "Do me a favor and scream some, ok?" came Pyro's voice. It sounded different, though- he didn't seem as casual, more nervous.

"What the hell?" Remy demanded.

The fire parted, allowing them to see Pyro's expression but not to escape. The Acolyte was shifting from foot to foot, glancing around as if he expected a ninja to appear. "If you scream, it'll sound like I did my job."

"And…"

Now Pyro looked at them, disgusted. "Then I won't actually have to do it!" He grimaced, gestured, and the fire disappeared. "That oughta be long enough… the only one around is Pete, anyway. Now get out of here before someone else shows up!" With that, he vaulted over the roof.

Remy blinked. "The hell was that?" he wondered, dragging Kurt over to the entrance to the stairwell. (1)

O-o-O-o-O

Logan, heading to Rogue's coordinates with Hank, paused, sniffing the air.

Hank was about to ask when his com beeped. It was Gambit. "Beast, Nightcrawler's down. I think it's really bad- I can't get him to wake up."

"Was he injured?"

"No. He just- he passed out. His pulse is steady, but he's breathing kind of funny."

Hank frowned. "Stay where you are, and don't move him. I'll be there as soon as I can." He snapped the com shut as Logan snarled. "Who's in the area?"

"Sabertooth."

Hank bit back a sigh. "Of course. Nothing can ever happen sequentially- no, things always come to a head all at once."

Logan ignored him. "I'll find Stripes and the girl. You go help Gumbo." Hank nodded, and he ran off.

O-o-O-o-O

Rogue was enjoying Carol's way of wasting time. Egging people was juvenile, but it was also funny as hell. The problem with pranking is that, when you're doing it, you don't pay attention to anything else. When Rogue heard the door to the stairwell open, she knew exactly what Logan would say: "The enemy will always find you."

She whirled to see a frisbee just miss her nose. Carol had already stepped out of the way as well. "Nice reflexes, skunkhead," said Sabertooth, leaning against the door.

"Not you again," Carol groaned. "I thought you were taking a nice, long bath in the Hudson."

"I've had all the water I can stand for one day, girly. I'm going to reek for days." He didn't look too upset at the prospect. He cracked his knuckles, looking them over, as Rogue slipped off her gloves. 

"Look, we're busy here. Can't we just not and say we did?" Carol asked, making a fist.

"Sorry, girly, that ain't what I get paid for."

Carol, looking disgusted, said, "My name is Carol."

Sabertooth shrugged. "It won't matter once my boss gets through with you. Now why don't you just come with me? I'll only get in trouble if I hurt you permanently."

"Ooh. Tough guy talk. Scary."

Rogue, ignoring their banter, took off her other glove and slipped into a fighting stance, hoping to take Sabertooth while he was distracted. 

Sabertooth, of course, noticed, lips curling into a sneer. "So. Skunkhead wants to fight. Well, let's fight." He took a few steps forward, trying to force her to the edge of the roof. Rogue rolled her eyes and sidestepped so she was in the center of the roof. Carol, who was now behind Sabertooth, winked; before Rogue could suggest it wasn't a good plan, the blonde had jumped on Sabertooth's back.

Rogue had time for one thought before Carol came flying in her direction: Logan was going to murder her.

O-o-O-o-O

Together, Hank and Remy managed to get Kurt onto the X-jet, Hank checking his vitals as they went. "He's stable... what did he do before passing out?"

"He 'ported. And then Pyro showed up, and after I dealt with him, Kurt was unconscious."

Hank stretched out a gurney in the back of the X-jet and held a flashlight to one of Kurt's eyes. His pupil dilated. "There's no brain damage… he's just unconscious." He paused and began to feel Kurt's biceps. "Oh, my stars and garters! Lactic acid! Remy, there's an oxygen tank in that compartment." He began to dig through his bag in a frenzy.

"It's that bad?" Remy asked, pulling out the tank and handing it to Hank.

"It isn't," Hank replied, placing the mask over Kurt's face, "but he's unconcious because there's a lack of oxygen in his blood. Thankfully, it hasn't begun to affect his brain, at least not that I can tell." Moving with a nervous, careful urgency, he took out a syringe and filled it with something, feeling around on Kurt's arm to find his vein. He swabbed the crook of his elbow and injected the liquid. With brisk efficiency, he set up an IV full of another liquid.

"So what's wrong with him?" Remy asked, sitting on the floor.

"I haven't the faintest," Hank sighed, running a hand through his hair. "All of the symptoms are nameable, but without further inspection I can't tell what they mean."

"Does it have something to do with his powers going screwy?"

"Undoubtedly." Hank watched as Remy rested his head in his hands. "Don't worry," he said in a softer voice. "He'll be fine."

O-o-O-o-O

Absorbing her a little was unavoidable, but what happened was wrong.

Carol landed on top of Rogue. She was in a cheerleading outfit, so nearly all of her was bare, and Rogue felt little flashes of Carol enter her as the girls struggled to right themselves. They stood, Carol gaping at Rogue as had everyone Rogue left conscious, Rogue trying to take stock of the bits and pieces swirling around in her head. And then Sabertooth, grinning broadly like a fond uncle, grabbed both girls and wrapped his arms around them. Rogue's face was crushed into Carol's neck, her hands pressed against Carol's bare arms.

Logan, hearing Rogue's screams mingle with Carol's, double-timed and started up the stairs of the building. He was too late, though; both girls were unconscious in Sabertooth's embrace.

Sabertooth, hearing Logan approach, dropped them and turned to face him, the lazy smile reappearing. "Runt! Come join the party!"

O-o-O-o-O

About ten minutes later, the X-men still in the field got the message to fall back from Logan. "What happened?" Scott asked, as he, Jean, and Evan boarded the X-jet. Logan, tapping an angry tattoo on the armrest of his seat, gestured to the back. Storm was helping Hank tend to Carol and Rogue; Kurt was still and unconscious. Both adults had to keep Kitty and Remy away from the prone X-men.

(The scene between Carol and Rogue was weird as HELL, I know, but it was hard to write, like this entire chapter. The next is the last, by the way.)

(1) This was a plot point, my dears, just not one that comes up right away. Just in case you were thinking I only wanted a Pyro cameo.


	7. Mistletoe

Disclaimer: "Ah, he should have kissed her!" "No, no, that's cool."

(An: And here it is, the last chapter. Fi-hi-hinally it won't be really short.)

Kurt woke up in the med lab. It was dark, and Kitty was asleep in the chair beside his bed. He was still as sore as hell, and he was hungry and thirsty on top of it. There was an IV in his arm. The clock on his bedside table and the dim moonlight spilling through his window told him it was after eleven. "Kitty?" he whispered, not wanting to disturb whoever else was in the room.

Kitty opened her eyes slowly, blinked several times, and nearly fell out of her chair. "Kurt!" Kitty threw her arms around his neck. Kurt put the arm without the needle around her.

He waited until she calmed to ask, "How long was I under?"

"Almost three days," she murmured, smoothing the fur on his cheek. They wiggled around until they were lying beside each other on the bed.

"Any reason why?"

Kitty grinned. "You're gonna like this. Mr. McCoy said your metabolism sped up to compensate for all the changes in your body. He says to avoid this happening again, you have to eat. Constantly and a lot."

Kurt blinked. "Really?" When Kitty nodded, he sighed blissfully. "Kitty, dear, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid my heart belongs to Hank now."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "He also says you have to rest for at least another two days, and that you have to watch how much you bamf."

Kurt sighed. "Such is the price of love." Kitty rolled her eyes. "So how'd the mission go without me?"

Kitty sighed, laying back. She didn't answer until Kurt poked her. "Not well," she admitted. "It's… it's kind of hard to explain."

"No, it's not," said Kurt, prodding her again. "You just don't want to tell me."

Kitty made a face at him. "All right, we totally tanked. Rogue and the mutant ended up fighting Sabertooth, and… well…" She reached over and turned on the light. In a bed across the room, Rogue lay attached to several machines monitoring her heart rate and brain activity. A blond girl slept in the bed beside hers, and in a chair between them sat Remy, who stirred at the light.

"What happened to her?" Kurt asked, sitting up for a better look.

Kitty switched off the light. Remy, deciding it was just a temporary annoyance, went back to sleep. "Sabertooth forced her to absorb Carol. When Logan found her, they were both out. The professor said Rogue took way more than she usually does- enough to put Carol into a coma like the first guy she absorbed. He says she hasn't woken up because it's taking everything she's got to deal with all the new information."

"She'll be fine, though, right?"

"Well, yeah, as soon as she wakes up. Just… nobody's sure what she'll be like when she does."

Kurt sighed. "You guys are pathetic without me." He couldn't quite hit the joking tone he wanted, but Kitty pretended he did.

She punched him lightly. "I think I liked it better when you were asleep."

O-o-O-o-O

Kurt woke up with Kitty in his arms, which was very pleasant indeed. He yawned and glanced around the room. It was already mid-morning. Remy was sitting on the floor playing solitaire with the intense concentration of the very bored. The professor was sitting by Rogue's bed, holding her hands. His concentration was equally intense, his frown as deep as the furrows in his brow.

Hank came in, balancing trays of breakfast in both hands. "Ah, Mr. Wagner! So you're finally back in the living world!" He set one of the trays on Kurt's lap. He gave another to Remy. "Mr. LeBeau, wouldn't you like to sleep in a _bed_ one of these days?"

Remy stretched and shook his head. "Nah. Hard surfaces are good for the back and whatnot." Prodding the eggs, he smiled at Kurt. "Next time, I'm asking Logan for a different partner, _mon ami_. You're always bailing on me."

Kurt made a face, but he couldn't retort because he was too busy inhaling his food.

O-o-O-o-O

The only time Remy left Rogue's side was for a forced Danger Room session (he would have skipped if Logan hadn't dragged him to it). Despite his vigilance, he almost missed it when she woke up a day later. He was drifting off when she stirred and groaned softly. He jerked awake and took her hand. "_Chere_?"

Rogue made an annoyed noise as she opened her eyes. She squinted, unable to focus for a moment. "Hey, Rem. How long's it been?"

Remy glanced at the clock. "A minute shy of four days. How're you feeling?"

Rogue sat up. "Like somebody dropped an anvil on my head… I'm really thirsty, too."

Remy poured her a glass of water, asking, "And things inside?" He tapped his skull.

"Muddy. I'm having trouble remember what's her and what's me, but the professor really helped. I've got most of it sorted out now." She reached up to brush some hair from her face and glared at a catheter in her arm. She settled for blowing at the errant strand. "Wanna know something scary?"

"Hmm?"

Rogue looked around to make sure no one else was listening, then said, "I feel like doing a cheer right now." She faked a perky grin and mouthed, "Go, fight, win!"

Remy's lips twitched. "And here I thought you were normal again."

Rogue shrugged. "I've been out for four days. You should be glad you got anything lucid out of me."

Remy shrugged, conceding the point. "Well, I guess cheerleading _does_ make people happy…"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "You really need sleep, swamp rat. Cheerleading's lame. _Orgasms_ make people happy." (1)

Remy snorted. "Oh, _oui_, my mistake."

Rogue shifted, and her hair fell in her face. She reached up again, but Remy got there first; without looking her in the eye, he swept it behind her ear. "Uh… thanks."

O-o-O-o-O

The next day, Rogue pushed a pea back and forth across her plate, watching Kurt and Kitty cuddle from under her lashes. Her face was impassive, but the barest hint of a frown tugged at her lips. When Hank came over to collect her plate, she asked, "Mr. McCoy, can I have a different bed? Watching my brother and best friend make out is _really_ not helping my recovery." Hank ignored her, checking the IV.

"I think it's sweet," said Remy, placing the King of Hearts atop his queen.

"Brother. Best friend."

"…When you put it that way…"

"Exactly." Rogue looked at Hank again. "Well, at the very least, is he gonna be out of here soon?"

Hank smiled at her. "Actually, yes, I was just about to mention that." He turned to Kurt. "I believe that, as long as nothing changes, you can celebrate Christmas Eve in your own room."

Kurt glanced at the calendar on the wall, surprised; it was the twenty-third. "When did that happen?" Kitty ignored him, stretching.

"What about me?" Rogue asked.

Hank fidgeted a little, walking away. "I'm not sure, actually. There's nothing wrong with your body, but I don't think you should go anywhere until Xavier has a look at you."

"Great. My first day awake, and I get to watch this," Rogue muttered, folding her arms.

"You could stare at me instead," Remy suggested.

"Swamp rat, I just said I wanted to recover. Looking at you would cause a relapse."

Remy sighed. "No love?"

"Good God, no!"

O-o-O-o-O

By Christmas, the medical ward was empty. Kurt was fine; he was a little weak, but it wasn't anything too bad. And with Kitty around, it was certain he wouldn't overexert himself.

Rogue was a different story. Carol Danvers was still in a coma, and it became apparent that a love for all things peppy hadn't been the only mark she'd left. When Xavier finally allowed Rogue out of bed, she had taken three steps before noticing her feet weren't touching the floor. After a bit of experimentation, they discovered that Rogue had kept Carol's powers- probably permanently. And she had no clue how to use them, since they had only just manifested.

Thankfully, she had managed to rein them in, at least enough to stop punching holes in all the walls.

So all of the students who had stayed at the mansion were present for Christmas dinner, even if they wished they'd avoided it.

"Come on!"

"Dammit, Morph, no!" Rogue glared at him and bent her fork in half. Her expression made it clear she wished the shapeshifter were the utensil.

Morph sighed and retracted the mistletoe; he knew when not to push it. "Ok, fine. If you won't bite, who will?"

"I can't believe you even have to ask," Rogue drawled, propping her chin on her fist. Morph followed her gaze to Kurt and Kitty.

"Self thought they were 'just friends'," said Warlock, tugging on one of his hairs as he always did when confused.

"Does that look like friend behavior to you?" Rogue paused, remembering who she was talking to. "Nah, trust me, 'Lock, they're going out. Maybe if you get them to kiss they'll stop being so disgusting."

"I think it's cute," said Morph.

"Brother, best friend! Why doesn't anyone ever remember that?"

Morph paid her no mind and walked over to Kurt and Kitty. "Warlock?" The alien extended an arm and held a sprig over the pair's heads. When neither of them seemed to notice, Morph cleared his throat.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Kitty demanded, staring up at the mistletoe.

Warlock and Morph exchanged glances, shrugging. "No, not really," said Morph. "Now, come on. You gotta do it."

"But-" Kitty began. She trailed off when she saw how Kurt was grinning.

"Kitty, do me a favor and hush. This is one holiday custom I can actually get into." Once again, he kissed her before she could talk.

After a moment, Morph looked at his watch. "Look, I'm _ecstatic_ for you both, but you're kind of abusing the privilege here." When he got no response, he made a disgusted noise. "Might as well be talking to a lightbulb."

"…You're not supposed to do that?" Warlock asked.

(God, I love writing those two. Well, that's that. The next story in this series is entitled, "Loneliest Month", and involved a timeskip… it'll be out in December at the earliest. It's kind of an interlude story- there's not much of a connection to this one, it just sets up more stuff. But hey, it's Rahm. Oh, by the way… review!)

(1) Quote from _But I'm a Cheerleader! _Don't knock the cheerleading. It's fun.


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